Adventure Comics Vol 1 48

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"Hourman: "Presenting 'Tick-Tock' Tyler, the Hour-Man"": Young chemist Rex Tyler discovers a powerful chemical that can give a human increased strength, improved senses, and the ability to move faster than the speed of light, but only for an hour. He names the compound Miraclo, and uses

Synopsis for Hourman: "Presenting 'Tick-Tock' Tyler, the Hour-Man"

Young chemist Rex Tyler discovers a powerful chemical that can give a human increased strength, improved senses, and the ability to move faster than the speed of light, but only for an hour. He names the compound Miraclo, and uses it to help people as the Hourman! An ad is placed in the Metropolitan Daily offering help to the oppressed, with a mailing address provided.

Rex Tyler was in his apartment, loads of mail were piled on his desk from hundreds who had answered his ad. A particular letter catches his eye, written by a Mary Kennedy, whose husband has fallen into a life of crime since losing his job. She was begging for assistance in bringing him back to an honest living. He visits Mrs. Kennedy while incognito, and she tells him that her husband, John, was talking in his sleep about stealing Mrs. Van Shelton's pearls during the Beaux Arts Ball that night. Later in his lab, Tyler prepares the Miraclo compound, as well as a tear gas concentrate in his ring. One minute before the start of the Ball, he drinks the chemical and dons the guise of the Hourman!

Just as Mrs. Kennedy suspected, her husband was at the Ball with two other thugs. Their eyes were on the elegant Marcia Van Shelton, and the pearls she wore around her neck... They were about to put their plan into action, when suddenly a paper blows into Kennedy's hand. It was a warning written by the Hourman telling him to go home to his wife and kid before it was too late. Kennedy was spooked, but the other men convinced him it was just some kind of gag. The attendees were about to begin the grand march when the room suddenly went dark! The Hourman, with the power of Miraclo, is able to see in the dark and notices that the pearls that Van Shelton wore had been taken! The thieves made their getaway in a car parked outside, but thanks to his boosted speed, Rex Tyler is able to run after them! When they arrive at their apartment hideout, he leaps onto the roof of the building, realizing that he only has 20 more minutes before his abilities fade. It was time to speed things up... Hourman bursts through the gang's apartment window and releases the tear gas in his ring on the surprised thieves, distracting them as he turns toward John Kennedy. He grabs the frightened man and takes him to the roof to try and scare him straight by throwing him off the side! Before Kennedy hits the ground, Hourman quickly leaps to the ground and catches him in mid-air! Immediately, John Kennedy started to beg and plead, promising to quit his life of crime and return to his family at home. The police show up shortly after, and Rex makes himself scarce just in time to return to his normal, regular self. The next morning, Mrs. Kennedy is happily welcoming her husband as he returns home, while at the same time, Mrs. Van Shelton finds her pearls enclosed in an envelope in her mailbox. Back at the lab, Rex Tyler is being lectured by his boss about how he could really go places if he wasn't so timid...

Appearing in Barry O'Neill: "The Mind Slave of Fang Gow"

Synopsis for Barry O'Neill: "The Mind Slave of Fang Gow"

A call is made to Inspector LeGrand in the French Intelligence Office, informing that his daughter, Jean, has been arrested as a spy! He and Barry O'Neill speed off to the military's prison. They meet with Jean, who is acting very unlike herself, slapping her father and cursing them as she is dragged kicking and screaming back to her cell. Barry hypothesizes that someone had hypnotized her. One name then came to mind: Fang Gow, their lasting nemesis and terror of France! But the chief of Intelligence wouldn't listen to them, forcing Barry to once again take matters into his own hands. He organizes a plan to break Jean out of jail, hoping in her hypnotized state that she will lead him straight to Fang Gow. With a rope tied from the window of Jean's cell to the back of his car, Barry steps down on the gas pedal and pulls out an entire section of the wall! Upon being freed, Jean Legrand escaped out into the darkness, with Barry stealthily following her. She walks out to the dock section of the river Seine and vanishes down a flight of stairs. Barry searches the area beneath the dock and finds a hidden door, leading to a spiral stone staircase. Near the bottom he pauses and listens, voices could be heard nearby, one recognized as Jean's, while the other had a deep, sinister tone. Peering cautiously beyond the stone wall, Barry saw his old nemesis, Fang Gow, conversing with the inspector's hypnotized daughter. He was issuing her a command, to secretly place the plans he had stolen for France's defense system into her father's bag during his diplomatic trip to Romania, where another spy will then steal the documents back. Barry drew his gun and quickly rushed out of hiding, demanding Fang Gow to release Jean from his spell! As the two shout at each other, Jean felt herself come to her senses as the sound of Barry's voice slowly began to take affect. She was finally able to regain her own thoughts, right as Fang Gow hit a secret button to summon a gang of hired goons to help. Barry yelled for Jean to run back up and bring help, firing his gun into the group to draw their attacks away from her!

Having reached the dock, Jean LeGrand races round frantically to find a phone. In a very short time later, police officers arrive with Inspector LeGrand, who rushes to his daughter's side, thankful that she is safe. Jean tells him of the plight Barry was left in down below. And so, wasting no time, the inspector leads the officers down into the underground chamber... where they find Barry standing over a pile of downed thugs, all unconscious and bleeding! He waves to his friends and informs them that Fang Gow made another escape, but not before he was able to grab the papers that had the French Defense plans. Jean was released from custody, and three of the agents involved in the spy ring have been captured...

Synopsis for Federal Men: "Professor Dirk's Crime School"

After watching the trial of counterfeiter "Plates" Chase, Steve Carson and the Chief of the FBI are left puzzled. Chase was known to be an amateur at best, and yet his latest counterfeiting job was nearly perfect. It was like he had changed his methods overnight! When they had returned to headquarters, the chief found an envelope from an anonymous sender lying on his desk. Inside was a $1000 bill! He had it analyzed by the boys in the lab, and found it to be a very well-made counterfeit. Could it be a tip-off? The return address on the envelope said it came from Northville, so Steve Carson was sent to find out more...

Steve found notorious criminals roaming the streets of Northville, seeming unconcerned for themselves being out in the open. Up ahead was the ex-con Blimp Carlyle coming out of a house. Steve waits until he leaves the area, then picks the lock on the door and lets himself in. Text books and study materials on Criminology are scattered across the upstairs desk, which Steve found odd as Carlyle was always more of a small time thug that wasn't educated. Suddenly he hears the front door open and footsteps coming up the stairs! He quickly hides in the closet as Blimp and his acquaintance step inside and begin conversing. That's how Steve learns about Professor Dirk and his Crime School, where many criminals have gone to learn how to better cover up their crimes. When the two men depart, Steve trails them. That evening, he disguises himself as a tough character and tries to enroll in Professor Dirk's class. However, during the fingerprint process all new pupils must go through, Steve is identified as a federal agent! Just as the FBI keeps files on criminals, the crime school keeps files on lawmen. Rather than kill him right away, Dirk decides to use him as a guinea-pig in a class demonstration that day.

In a room full of onlooking criminals, Professor Dirk was explaining how to kill someone without the authorities suspecting murder. Beside him was a large machine with clamps on the side controlled by a lever. Thugs held Steve Carson in place as the switch was pulled, fastening his limbs in place. A gun had been fastened into his hand that had been specially modified to go off in five minutes, and Dirk had positioned it to point at the federal man's head. This way, with only Steve's fingerprints on the weapon it would just look like a suicide! As Dirk started his lecture, Steve recognized one of the onlookers as Bennie Mason, whom he once did a favor for and now was his last hope. Mason slowly inched his way over to the machine, closer and closer until he could almost reach the lever... And then Dirk turned. In one swift motion, Mason pulled the lever, releasing Steve who ducked just as the gun discharged, hitting Professor Dirk directly in the chest, killing him. The rest of the class surrendered easily, and Steve thanked Bennie for his help. It turned out he was the one who sent the anonymous $1000 bill. He wanted to get revenge on Dirk for suspending him just because he didn't do his homework!

Synopsis for The Sandman: "Death to the D.A."

Dian Belmont invites the Sandman aboard her father's yacht to discover a plot to murder the district attorney. There are three suspects and they all turn out to be in on it. Sandman rescues Mr. Belmont when one of the guests pushes him overboard. While Sandman continues to investigate, another one of the party guests, Doctor Fulton attempts to kill Belmont. Once again, Sandman comes to the rescue. He follows the trail of attempted murders back to society widow, Mrs. Fulton. Then the Sandman makes one final rescue of Belmont and captures the racketeers responsible.

Appearing in Socko Strong: "Hassle in Hollywood (Part II)"

Synopsis for Socko Strong: "Hassle in Hollywood (Part II)"

While looking around director Solly Lloyd's estate, built to resemble a medieval castle, Socko Strong is trapped by Monte Swift, his movie rival, in a stone pit which is rapidly filling with water! But Socko suddenly gets an idea. He dives for the bottom and finds the outlet that drains the water, currently covered by a heavy lid. Straining with his last ounce of strength, his lungs about to burst, Socko succeeds in opening the drain! The water quickly rushes out, pulling Socko along with it through a subterranean channel that opens out under the bank of a river near Solly's estate. He paused on the bank to gather his breath, then headed back up to the house to find out who tried to kill him! Meanwhile, Monte Swift was smoking a cigar out on the veranda when he decided to head back to the pit and find out if Socko was dead yet. Opening the hatch, he finds the water level was getting lower, and Strong was nowhere in sight! Hearing a voice behind him, he whirls around to see Socko standing there with an angry look. Monte is pushed into the draining pool, being warned to stop his mad attacks or else.

Next day, at the studio, Socko and Jerry were standing by chatting about Swift's dirty attacks. When Socko and Monte were called on to pose for some movie stills, the studio electrician's little daughter watches with interest from the sidelines. Overhead, the guide-wire supporting a heavy arc light suddenly snaps, causing the massive lamp to plummet down towards the child! The entire crew stand frozen in horror, except for Socko, who rushes forward at great speed! With one arm, he swings the child out of danger, the light crashing to the floor where she stood a second later! After holding his daughter tight, the electrician takes Socko off to one side to tell him something. Monte Swift had paid him a large fee to cut the strings on the parachute he was supposed to use in the next scene. But after Socko had just saved his daughter, the electrician felt inclined to warn him. Socko tells him to make sure that both parachutes are in perfect condition for the next scene, as he just figured out how to pay Monte Swift back...

Later that same day, the film crew go out to the airport where two planes are being prepped for the scene, one for the actors, the other for the camera crew. The scene is explained, the plane would catch fire and Socko and Monte were supposed to struggle on the wing until Monte was pushed off. Director Lloyd reminds each of the men to count to ten before pulling the ripcord on their parachutes. The plane carrying Socko and Monte takes off, followed closely by the plane carrying the camera crew... When they fly up to an acceptable height, Solly tells Socko via headset to pull the lever that activates the fire. Following the script, the actors struggle on the wing of their plane while smoke spirals upward! Socko sets up his bluff by informing Monte that he switched parachutes with him. This causes Monte to go into a panic. He clings to Socko, begging to let him use his parachute, not realizing that both chutes were actually in working order. But Socko just smiles and says that he was supposed to push him off, and seconds later Swift finds himself hurtling to the ground! Panic-stricken, he pulls his rip cord almost without any hope... and to his surprise, it opens without complication! Socko passes him by in his own chute, and when they reach the ground, he tells him that he learned about the cut cord earlier and thought that invoking a little fear in Swift would do him good. With one mighty punch, he sends Monte sprawling into the mud where a family of pigs were lying.

Synopsis for Steve Conrad, Adventurer: "Singapore Sal"

Steve Conrad and his assistant and friend, Chang, are guests on a ship bound for Singapore. They were standing by the railing enjoying the cool sea breeze, when Steve notices a woman near the bow of the ship that looked remarkably like notorious jewel thief, Singapore Sal. A gentleman was standing beside her, and they seemed to be chatting up another couple, though at that distance Steve couldn't hear what was being discussed. Sal and her companion disappear into the Salon, leaving Steve and Chang to wonder at what she wanted of the couple. For now, they decide to return to their cabin and get ready for dinner. In the dining room, Steve and Chang sit at a table where they can keep a watchful eye on Singapore Sal, who was dining with the couple Steve saw her with earlier. The man wore a monocle, and seemed considerably older than the woman, who wore many diamonds around her neck. Sal's motives became more clear to Steve, now. If he and Chang didn't do something soon, Steve was pretty sure that the jewels would find their way into Sal's possession... When the dancing begins, Steve takes Chang aside and hands him a note to slip into Singapore Sal's state-room and wait around for her reaction. If they were lucky, it would scare her away from whatever she was scheming. Chang does as he's told, and then waits inconspicuously for Sal to return. As day turns to evening, Chang pretends to be watching the sunset as Sal and her partner, answering to Slick, part for the night. She enters her room and seconds later, Chang hears her scream. 'Slick' comes running back across the deck to her aid. Inside the room, she shows her companion the note she found. It was a warning to her not to pull any job on this ship, reminding her about an event that happened "last time" on the China Sea. Sal's attitude changed into despair when she read the initials at the bottom, S.C. Steve Conrad. She told Slick they had better give up on the entire plan, but he only got angry at her, calling her a coward. He didn't know or care who Steve Conrad was, and he wanted to go through with the heist of Colonel Bradford's daughter's jewels, worth at least 50 grand... The whole exchange had been heard by Chang, standing outside the door, and he now hurried back to warn Steve of the man's continued persistence. The stars twinkled in the night sky as the ship sails onward. Steve and Chang are outside, keeping watch over the Bradford's cabin. Suddenly, a shadowy figure is seen rushing out the door carrying a bag. They move in to intercept the thief, but he surprises them with a swift strike, knocking Steve to the ground, then running up the steps to the upper deck! Though the crook was able to get away, Steve had managed to rip a piece of fabric from his lapel, along with a strange piece of cord. However, when the two of them went back to question Singapore Sal, she informed them that she had been spending the entire time convincing Slick, who sat beside her, not to continue on the heist. Steve noticed that Slick's lapels were intact, proving he was not the man they had just encountered. But then who was the mysterious thief?

Early the next day, the crew is gathered around Miss Bradford's cabin as she screamed that her jewels were missing. The ship's captain comforted her by reminding her that the diamonds were insured, though he also announced there would be a reward for anyone who found the thief... And then, Steve Conrad suddenly had an epiphany! He knew who the thief was, and if he was right, the culprit would return later today to retrieve the jewels from their hiding place! He waited on the upper deck... Hours passed, but he was absolutely certain that he was right. Sure enough, a skulking figure made a move for one of the life-boats, recovering a bag that was hidden inside... Steve leapt out of hiding and tackled the jewel thief! This time, the element of surprise gave him the advantage, and the man was easily subdued. The captain found Colonel Bradford all tied up in front of the wheel-house minutes later, with a note pinned to him saying it was he who stole the jewels. At their cabin, Chang asked Steve how he knew it was the Colonel. Steve showed him the cord he had ripped off the thief the night before, explaining that morning when everyone was standing around the Colonel's cabin, he noticed that Colonel Bradford wasn't wearing his monocle. How could he, when the cord was in Steve's possession? The Bradford were a duo that often committed insurance fraud. The diamond necklaces and rings were all insured for a large sum of money, and the Colonel and his daughter put on an act in order to collect... But now they would have to work it all off instead behind bars.

Appearing in Rusty and His Pals: "Mansion of Murder (Part III)"

Synopsis for Rusty and His Pals: "Mansion of Murder (Part III)"

The old man's nephew, Angus McHeather, turned out to be a little, but tough, man. He goes along with Rusty and the gang, back to the old mansion to try and decipher his uncle's dying message, "Behind Stevenson". Along the way, Rusty tells of the murder of the bodyguard by the poisoned dart, and the strange appearance of the dwarf, Tino. Angus has no explanation for the odd events, his uncle never told him much about his dealings. Once they arrive at the mansion, the boys notice that the lights are on... Someone had gotten inside while they were out! A glance through the window reveals the figure of Tino the dwarf and two men, trashing the study as though they were looking for something. The boys wondered what to do, and then Angus speaks up and tells them that they were going to go inside kick the intruders out! Following Angus, Specs and Tubby grab a pair of lances from the suits of armor in the entrance hall to protect themselves. The four of them burst through the door of the study! Surprised, Tino and the larger man drew his gun, but Specs and Tubby tossed the lances and knocked the firearms out of their hands! The third, a well-dressed gentleman referred to as Zoroff, vowed to Rusty and company that they haven't seen the last of him!

The enemy gone, Angus and the boys quickly bar the doors and windows! Rusty then brings their attention back to the puzzle at hand, namely the last words of the old man, "Behind Stevenson". Looking at the bookshelf, Specs suddenly figures it out! What if the old man was talking about a book? "Stevenson" could refer to an author, and if they looked behind the book, they might find something. A search through the shelves and Rusty finds what they may have been looking for, "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. When he pulled it out, he saw a small button hidden at the back of the shelf. At first nothing seemed to happen when it was pushed, but then a section of the wall behind them slid to one side, revealing a secret passage. After the boys followed Angus down it's long dark passage, they discovered a desk with a small chest, out in the open as though it were calling out to them. Opening it, Angus finds an old leather diary that his uncle had once used. In his excitement, Angus's grip slipped and the delicate chest fell to the floor, a piece breaking off that was covering a hidden compartment with a paper inside! What did the journal and paper contain? Why was Zoroff so eager to find it??

Synopsis for Anchors Aweigh: "The Dope Smuggler's Double"

The Coast Guard, in their efforts to smash a clever dope ring, enlist the help of Lieutenant Commander Don Kerry due to his resemblance to one of the smugglers, Joe Madson, whom had recently been apprehended. A make-up artist fixes Kerry's face with a false nose and mustache. The idea was to have him pose as Madson and find out who was heading the dope operation, then gather as much information as he could about how they were sneaking the dope past customs officials. The word has been passed along to the press that Joe Madson was released from jail, and then Don was sent off to Madson's apartment to await a call from the boss. To keep up the charade, Don had to be very careful who he talked to so as not to be discovered as a phony. Several times, he had to send someone away, or cancel an appointment with one of Madson's lackeys. When Joe's wife came bursting into the room to see him, Kerry had to resort to kicking her out before she noticed anything strange. It all paid off by the time he received the visit he had been hoping for. A lackey had been sent over to take Kerry, as Joe Madson, to see "the boss". He is taken to a nearby post office and up a freight elevator to a room where a shady-looking businessman sat behind a large oak desk. He tells Kerry, in his disguise, that the usual mail plane was delivering the drugs over that afternoon, but someone else would be temporarily filing in for him. He's told to lay low for awhile, until things cool off. With a sly grin, Kerry leaves. Now he knew that the smugglers were using the federal mail aircraft to sneak past customs unnoticed! That afternoon, the mail truck that met the plane is followed back to the post office by Don and the coast guard. They notice that the carrier only took three bags into the post office, when he actually unloaded five off the plane. As Don continues to watch, the man carries the other two bags up the very same freight elevator he had been led onto earlier that day.

When the truck driver descends on the elevator, he finds a surprise waiting for him as the coast guard officials grab him and tie him up on the floor while they take the elevator back up. The doors open and they swarm the area, Don finds the dope ring boss attempting to make a run for it while firing his gun. He keeps Kerry in his sights as he backs up towards the elevator doors. But what he doesn't see is the empty shaft beyond, the driver having manipulated the elevator lever with his feet, thinking he could get away. Kerry tries to warn the boss but the enraged kingpin refuses to listen, and the next thing he knew, he was falling down the empty shaft with the sounds of screaming exiting his lips.

The coast guard captain remarks that it wasn't a pretty sight, but it did mean the end of one of the most vicious and cleverly concealed dope rings of all time...

Appearing in Cotton Carver: "The Earth Passage"

Synopsis for Cotton Carver: "The Earth Passage"

After rescuing Deela from the First Ones, and then in turn being rescued by her, Cotton guides their flier over Vulture Mountain, into a strange valley. The small craft's motor begins to emit a long hiss as it starts to drop rapidly, its two passengers clung onto the steering wheel in their attempt to guide it into a soft area... The valley had been spoken of by Deela's people, rumors that a path to the upper world, Cotton's home, was hidden somewhere within. Upon closer inspection they discover that everything, from the trees to the soil, was completely petrified which meant there would be no food or water anywhere to be found! But since it was too risky to go back through the land of the First Ones, Cotton and Deela decided to continue forward. The day grows short as they trek onward until Deela gets weary and falls to the ground, so Cotton set up camp for the night. They sat together by a fire and talked to get their minds off how famished they were. The more he spoke with Deela, the more Cotton realized that he wasn't as anxious to go back to his own world as he once was. But Deela was eager to see the fantastic land above, and she wanted Cotton to show it all to her...

Eventually, Cotton and Deela came into a lush, full-of-life wilderness. A sense of great joy and relief came upon them as they picked a yield of berries from the bushes and hunted a good large animal to cook over a fire, then finally, their hunger had been satiated. Cotton carves up the surrounding branches to build himself a bow and uses the guts from the dead animal to make a strong bow string. The two of them journey further across the valley's ever-changing landscape, when up ahead they see a great chasm billowing puffs of steam from the hot geysers down within. The puzzle of crossing the boiling pit without getting burned momentarily arises. In an instant, Deela is attacked from behind by an ape-man carrying a club! Cotton whirls around in shock just in time to get clunked on the head by another ape creature's club! Carrying their captured quarry over their shoulders, the ape-men skillfully drop thousands of feet into the crevice where they make their territory. The bouncing from rock to rock jolts Cotton, though he remains still to fool the creatures. Then, once they reach the ground and are released from the ape-men's grip, Cotton fires his last round of ammunition at their backs! Afterwards, he takes Deela in his arms and escapes to a spring, where she is revived by a sip of cool water. They make their way, in a rush now, to a stairwell carved into the side of a huge mountain that rose into the clouds! Curiosity with a sense of adventure guiding him, Cotton climbed the steps with Deela following behind him. The stairwell led into a cave emitting intense heat. The cause was found to be a pool of glowing magma below, revealing they were really inside a great volcano! Even though Deela wanted them to turn around, Cotton continued following the rocky stairway. Up and up they went, the heat combined with the noxious fumes exhausting them by the time they reached the opening at the top. Cotton took a glance around. It was the surface world! He was home! His last thoughts were of relief before collapsing to the ground alongside Deela...